Silver lining: The farming group is very pleased with its progress and beautiful produce
Refugees and the host community work side-by-side in Uganda
Connie Akware
Refugees, who have lost their homes and their livelihoods, often turn to subsistence farming in order to survive. However, doing so in another country often leads to tension – especially over the use of land and other natural resources – as well as environmental degradation.
Refugees could encroach on land which they have no right to use, or, because they hope for a quick return, they could resort to unsustainable farming practices such as indiscriminate land clearance. As it has become clear from several reports produced by UNHCR’s Engineering and Environmental Services Section, agricultural activities and pastoralism can take a toll on the environment by causing deforestation, water pollution, and overuse of arable and grazing land.
However, in Uganda – the country in Africa hosting the most refugees – ForAfrika has been deliberate in engaging both the refugees and the host community to participate in its livelihood projects. This move has promoted peaceful coexistence, addressed the limited land access through block farming, boosted income security through Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) and taught people the value of conservation.
The EKU farmers’ group, based in Palorinya West, can attest to the power of communal dynamics and VSLAs. Ugandan national and chairman of the group, Silver Ulego, says: “When Palorinya Refugee settlement was opened, the arrival of the refugees alongside humanitarian partners caused a scramble for the little available resources. Life somehow became tough… The arrival of the refugees caused a lot of tension, but it also opened our eyes because we realised that we needed to work hard to support ourselves and our families.”
Winds of change
However, the situation changed with the arrival of ForAfrika in 2020 as a livelihood partner in Palorinya, he says.
“The field team that visited our community encouraged us nationals to form groups with refugees so that we could also benefit from the resources allocated for the livelihood project. But, they urged us to also contribute by giving land to the project without a cost. This was a good idea – we sat and agreed as a team and with ForAfrika field supervision, we formed the EKU group.”
The 20-strong group acquired land and were given as assortment of seeds, farm tools and irrigation equipment. They managed to plant and harvest both vegetables and crops and earn an income.
“The provision of the irrigation equipment completely changed our fortunes because we had a bumper harvest during the off-season farming. We were also able to dictate the market price because of the scarcity of vegetables in the market during the dry period. As a result, we managed to save 34,000,000 UGX ($9,444),” says a delighted Silver.
The group is now keen on buying a tricyclefor easy transportation of produce to the market. “We appreciate ForAfrika Uganda a lot for the great support both in terms of farm inputs provided and knowledge and skill acquired,” Silver added.
Connie Akware is Monitoring and Evaluation Assistant in Uganda
